1. Field
The present application generally relates to data storage systems, and, in particular, associating events with the state of a data set.
2. Related Art
Various data protection systems and schemes can be used to prevent the loss of data stored in a data storage system if the data storage system fails. One common data protection scheme is a snapshot-based scheme that involves periodically making a copy of the data being protected. For example, in a snapshot-based scheme, data in one or more data storages can be periodically copied to a backup storage media, such as tape or redundant array of independent/inexpensive disks (RAID). If a data storage being protected fails, then the data on the data storage being protected is reconstructed using the copy that was made to the backup storage media.
One shortcoming to a snapshot-based scheme, however, is that the data can only be reconstructed based on when the snapshots are taken (i.e., when the data on the data storage being protected is copied to the backup storage media). All instances of time between when the snapshots are taken are unprotected. Additionally, while the frequency of the snapshots can be increased to reduce the unprotected period of time that is vulnerable to data loss if the data storage being protected fails, the increased frequency of the snapshots presents data management, retention and protection issues, which may be particularly undesirable in a large data storage system.